How To Install Blinds And Shades In A Wide-Span Window

Window blinds and shades usually call for three supporting installation brackets if the window width exceeds about 45 inches.

There are exceptions to that (mostly wood blinds, faux wood blinds, roller shades and certain types of cellular shades). Because they have sturdy headrails, we’ve been able to install them in window widths exceeding 45 inches with only two supporting brackets (one on each end).

But what can you do if you must use a third supporting bracket in the middle, but there’s “nothing” there to mount it to?

Take a look at this window …

A Wide Window Without Any Mounting Surface For A Middle Supporting Bracket

It’s a wide one, isn’t it? On top of it, woven wood shades are going in as an inside mount. Because the headrails for woven wood shades are made of thin wood, over time, the headrail would sag in the middle without any support there.

What can you do to fix this and still have the blinds or shades you want?

You can use an angle iron as a rigid support.

Woven Wood Shades - An Angle Iron Support	Aha - Now There's A Spot For The Middle Bracket!

What you see is a right-angled piece of aluminum (a fairly light material). The installation brackets are attached to it using small nuts and bolts and spaced to match the routed slots in the woven wood shades’ headrail.

There are two right-angled brackets riveted to the ends of the angle iron (one on each end). They are used to fasten the whole angle iron support  within the window frame … like so …

Anchoring And Bracket Attachment Detail

Now, the support ‘beam’ (you may call it) is in place and ready for the woven wood shades.

The Angle Iron Support Beam In Place

It’s a simple fix for windows and blinds and shades without any mounting surfaces for a middle supporting bracket. Yes, there are a few extra steps to mounting blinds or shades this way. But now that you know how to do it, bet the figuring out part is out-of-the-way.

Woven Wood Shades Are Up … And Will NOT Sag In The Middle

You can easily adapt this example to your window blinds or shades set up … and still have the ones you first thought might be unsuitable for that large-width window in the house.